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Extension in Buncombe County

Garden Helpline Opens for Calls on March 1

February 28, 2018

Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteers of Buncombe County are ready to answer your gardening questions. Beginning March 1, the Garden Helpline is open Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., during the gardening season—March through September. Our Master Gardener volunteers are available for phone calls, walk-ins, and emails.

Call 828-255-5522 or visit the Extension office at the location shown below. If you bring a plant sample to the office, please be sure it is large enough for plant identification. You can also email your questions and plant photos to Buncombemg@gmail.com.

Each year, Extension Master Gardener volunteers answer hundreds of gardening questions. From October through February when the Helpline is not open, your questions will be answered by Alison Arnold, Extension Agent, Consumer Horticulture. The Extension office and our Helpline are closed on N.C. state holidays.

We’re here to help. Please contact us!

Garden Helpline
Monday through Thursday
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
828-255-5522
Buncombemg@gmail.com

NC Cooperative Extension
Buncombe County Center
49 Mount Carmel Road
Asheville, NC 28806
www.buncombemastergardener.org

Announcement written by Gretchen Schlag, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer.

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Categories Extension in Buncombe County Tags gardening help, Helpline

High Density Orchards Advance Apple Growing: Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center Tells How

February 26, 2018

Until I talked with Dr. Tom Kon, Southeastern Apple Research Specialist at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center in Mills River, NC, “apple orchard” meant my grandfather’s orchard planted by his great-grandmother in the 19th century. When I was a child in the 1950s, its gracious canopies were producing varieties like ‘Melba,’ ‘Yellow Transparent,’ ‘Macoun,’ and ‘Worthy.’ But today, thanks to Dr. Kon’s research, apple growing has advanced far beyond my memories.

Mtn Horticultural Research & Extension Center_High Density Orchard in Bloom
High density apple orchard in bloom at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research & Extension Center

Dr. Kon spends 80 percent of his time researching new varieties and methods of growing apples and 20 percent of his time on Extension, working closely with North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia apple growers.

The work of Dr. Kon and the Extension Center is especially valuable in our area where apple growing is such an important industry to Western North Carolina. According to the North Carolina Apple Growers Association: “NC ranks seventh in apple production in the United States, has over 200 commercial apple operations comprised of 9,000 bearing acres of apple orchards, and produces up to 4 million bushels of apples in a given year. Apples are produced in four areas of the state around the Henderson, Haywood, Wilkes, and Cleveland [County] areas.”

Mountain Horticultural Crops Research & Extension Center_Pruning a high density orchard
Pruning a high density apple orchard

An interview with Dr. Kon

Q:  What is the biggest challenge facing apple growers?

A:  One of the greatest challenges our growers face is a growing labor shortage. Apple production requires significant labor inputs throughout the growing season and there are uncertainties regarding reliable access to a legal workforce. As a result, more apple growers are adopting high density orchard systems that lend themselves to mechanization and automation.

Q:  What do you mean by a high-density system?

A:  It means planting a greater number apple trees per acre (about 800 to 1,200). What makes this possible is improved dwarfing rootstocks that have profound effects on tree growth and productivity. As part of a regional rootstock research project, we (Dr. Mike Parker and I) are evaluating the performance of over 30 apple rootstocks at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center here and in Blairsville, Georgia.

Q:  What are the benefits to growers?

A:  Planting a greater number of trees per acre on dwarfing rootstocks results in greater yields in early years, less complex canopy architectures with improved light distribution, improved fruit quality, and improved land use efficiency. Those large, hulking apple trees that your grandfather grew were lovely, but needed 5 years or more before they produced a crop. Dwarf trees can produce a crop in two or three years, depending on the variety. For the apple grower, that means a much quicker return on the investment.

Q:  What kind of investment are you talking about?

A:  Establishment costs of high density orchards are relatively high due to tree number, tree support systems, and irrigation. These inputs can exceed $15,000 per acre. However, many of these costs can be recovered early in the life of the orchard, due to the higher value of early production and improved fruit quality.

Q:  What kind of equipment is used in high density orchards?

A:  Until recently, the major innovation in apple harvest technology occurred when we switched from wooden to metal ladders. Ladders can be dangerous, particularly in an orchard where the ground is uneven. The adoption of high density orchard systems has resulted in the development of labor saving technologies, such as mobile labor platforms, that improve worker safety. Modern orchard systems are compatible with new technologies, reduced use of pesticides, and increased production.

To find out more about the work of Dr. Tom Kon and his team, visit the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center website throughout the year.

Article written by Janet Moore, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer.

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Categories Extension in Buncombe County Tags apples, Mountain Horticultural Crops Research & Extension Center

Research on Truffles and Stink Bugs and More—At the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center

January 9, 2018

Have you ever heard of the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center? If so, you may think of apples, tomatoes, or Christmas trees. Located on a hill overlooking the Mills River valley, under the direction of Tom Ranney, the J.C. Raulston Distinguished Professor in NC State University’s Department of Horticultural Science, the center has become a regional and national leader in plant and entomological research.

Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center, Buncombe County, NC
Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center

Certainly, you’ll find the Center’s scientists working on ways to improve the production of the crops that are so important to Western North Carolina’s economy. But during the past 28 years, the Mountain Crop Improvement Lab team has developed and introduced almost 30 new plants ranging from compact evergreen dogwoods, to big, bold ornamental grasses, to hydrangeas with bright pink blossoms. And plant introductions are just one type of new discovery coming out of the center.

Truffles!
Today you’ll find researchers working on some surprising and even exotic projects, such as Black Périgord truffles.

Truffle (Tuber melanosporum) from first harvest at Mountain Horticultural Research Center in Buncombe County, NC, Nov. 20, 2017.
Truffle

The Black Périgord truffle (Tuber melanosporum) is native to Provence, France, and a favorite among chefs for an intense flavor that compliments dishes featuring meats, cheeses, and eggs. Often mistaken for a mushroom, the truffle is actually part of the taxonomic group Ascomycetes. So, what is this highly sought-after, extremely expensive, and valuable gastronomic delight doing in western North Carolina?

Through a grant from the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program administered by the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Jeanine Davis, Extension Specialist on Herbs/Organics/Specialty Crops/Vegetables, and her team at the research center, evaluated and developed methods for monitoring truffle colonization in truffle orchards. After seven years of hard work in collaboration with the Carolina Truffiéres, and with the able assistance of the Truffle Dog Company, Jeanine harvested the first Black Périgord truffle in November 2017. For current and aspiring commercial truffle growers in Western North Carolina and the Piedmont, this was big news and proof that this ancient and highly prized crop can succeed in North Carolina. 

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys)
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

Stink bugs?
Researchers at the Center’s Walgenbach lab, are seeking to solve age-old fruit tree and vegetable industry pest management problems. The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB, Halyomorpha halys), for example, first identified in North Carolina in 2009, has devastated many crops, including tomatoes, peppers, corn, apples, peaches, and soybeans. Today, the lab is part of a team consisting of more than 50 scientists nationwide who are working to understand this insect’s biology and devise pest management strategies. 

And more…
Take a little time to get acquainted with the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center and the scientists who are making a difference in agriculture locally and across the Southeast through the Center’s website, which is packed with timely information for home gardeners and commercial growers. In August, you may want to attend the center’s annual Tomato Day. It’s a great opportunity to hear the scientists present their research findings, learn about new varieties, taste the fruits of their labors, and return home with a bag of luscious, locally grown tomatoes.

To find out more about registering to attend Tomato Day and other offerings sponsored by the center, visit https://mountainhort.ces.ncsu.edu/ throughout the year.

To read the full story about harvesting truffles in WNC, go to “We Produced Our First Black Périgord Truffles!” at https://newcropsorganics.ces.ncsu.edu/2017/11/we-produced-our-first-black-perigord-truffles/

For more about brown marmorated stink bugs: https://entomology.ces.ncsu.edu/brown-marmorated-stink-bug-in-north-carolina-3/

Article written by Janet Moore, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer.

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Categories Extension in Buncombe County Tags Mountain Horticultural Crops Research & Extension Center, stink bugs, tomatoes, truffles

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